The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-02-21
rnoMBoAnDING.IIoUsIro COURT,

Mrs. MRckny rs She Was Known by nm Old
Miner Who Used to board with Her.
Missouri Republican. * st.D..
"This Is indeed a peculiar world" said a
mining expert at the 4'lantera' House yes.
terday. "Hero I pick up the papers and
read Of Mrs. Mackay's dolngs in Paris
how che receives the scions Of royalty,
how she en!esta'ns, how she appears at
the opera, how abe dresses, and how she
docs a thousand other things; and
then l can scarcely conceive that
eighteen years ago Bho kept q board.
ing house In Virginia City, and tina.
| was one Of her bourders. Yot It Is
true, and often ponder over 1t. She was
young widow then, with an interesting
child, who has since matured into q young
lady and was recently married to an
Italian prince Of some kind. That little
girl haB often set on my knee with little
tin can in her hand which contained the
contributions OF her admirers. In thcse
days, We lived principally on canned food, ,
and Mrs. Mackay's back yard wa paved
with tin cans. The child had collected a
very pretty can which one OF the bosrders
transformed into little bank, This
was partly filled with coin, The re-.
suit OF tribute which sho levied
on her friends. She could climb
on tho boa1dero' knees, and shaking her
little bank, would say: is you lucky to-
day. This query had the desired effect,
and the bank receipts were increased,
Even in her days Of diDtrese Mrs. Macksy
was good woman. She personally super
tended affairs and made her boardors as
comfortable ss pozaihle. / was then q gu.
perintendent under Fair, and MRckay was
already millionaire. Mining stock was
tho rage then, and l remember often now
eho would come to me and gone OF the
other boarders and nsk our advice about
certain atocke, and am happy 10 say
that the advice gave her was good, and
II had taken 1t myself would nov be
s5,0O0,000 or s6,000000 better off than
am. 1E
'Then Mickey took shine to the
widow, and being reputed one OF the
wealthiest men in tho camp, no found
smooth sailing. Hecouldn't win on bis
shape nor his beauty, for everybody that
has seen Msckey knows that he wouldn't
take prize in congress OF beauty. They
were married, and the little girl no longer
sat on miners knees, and mammals deli
cate baud no longer placed corned beef
and cabbage Oh miners plates. They rose
faster than Sheridan stock did laat sum-
mer, the only difference being that their
rise was backed by hard coin.
The great Comstock lode continued to
pour forth its richness, and Mackay and
his partner became immensely wealthy.
Although reared in poor circumstances,
Mrs. Mackay showed her good sense by
occurring private tutor, by whom she WIS
drilled and educated for five years. The
little daughter was put through the same
couree and fitted TO shine in the most Gull
tured society in the old world. Thon
came the conquest in New York, San
Francisco, and finally the trips to Europe.
A year ago l was in Paris, and on one
evening attended performance at the
Grand Opera House. It was a.
Grat night, and prominent in a pri-
vate box were two ladies, bedecked
with diamonds and fastened with flowers,
They were the cynosure OF all eyes, and,
leveling my glasses, discovered behind
the silks, flowers and diamonds the face
Of my former landlady in Virginia City.
The outlines were the same, but time had
wrought Its changes. The young lady
with her was tho girl who ueed to play on
my knee. She had grown out of my
recollection. AB I stood looking at them
midst the flaghing lights, the incense OF
flowers, and the delicious music, could
not help recalling something Of
"Some ono who breasted high water,
Swan tho North Fork, and nil that '-
Just to dance WITH old Folfansbecs daughter,
The lily Of Poverty Fiat